Reviews

Becoming Ted by Matt Cain

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malachite_moriarty's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jaayraad_reads's review against another edition

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5.0

Is this a warm cup of tea on a rainy day in book form?

Yes. Yes it is.

Ted has just been broken up with. After 20 years of marriage, Giles has found someone new, younger, more adventurous, and is ready to move on. Completely taken by surprise, Ted is unsure how to move on with his is life. He’s stuck in the same job, running an ice cream store that’s been his family’s for nearly 100 years, living in a sleepy seaside town, and struggling to live up to the expectations his parents put on him.

But Ted has a secret dream, one that he has hidden away to avoid disappointing his parents, one crushed by his ex-husband, and one he doesn’t know if he has the courage to pursue. Ted wants to be a drag queen!

Becoming Ted is a heartwarming story in essence. It is about Ted overcoming the doubts that other people had pushed into his head through his life. It’s about putting yourself first and pursuing your dream, even if it’s becoming a drag queen at 43. And I loved it.

Let me just say this though, Giles is a dick. Everything he ever said to Ted that we see through flashbacks was said to diminish Ted, to make Giles feel superior and to stop Ted becoming who he wants to be. No matter how his character changes through the story, he’s still a dick.

Similar to “The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle” the supporting cast of characters here is phenomenal. Stanley is a hoot and you can tell he would have been a menace when he was younger, but his wisdom really helps Ted to see things differently. Denise is the best friend anyone could wish for, even when her attempts to help are deeply misguided, you know she has the best intentions. And Oskar, the new love, he’s a puppy dog in person form, overcoming his own insecurities but willing to try and improve himself.

I know I said this, but I loved this. The humour, the camp, the drag, Lily, all of it. I basically devoured this book